Bring her home
by Caskettastic
Summary: Rick and Kate have been married for two years now, but a sudden tragedy leaves them broken and hurtful. things get rough for a while as they struggle to come to terms with their relationship again. a little angsty in the middle, but i promise you some casketty goodness in the end. This is my first castle FanFic, so please give it a read.
1. Chapter 1

**AN: I've edited this story a bit, just put in spaces between lines and paragraphs to make it easier to read. i got a few reviews of readers who found it difficult to read. i do apologize, I'm new to Fan fiction. Will surely remember your advice when I post more stories. Thank you and sorry for the inconvenience.  
Other than the paragraph spaces there is no change in the text or story.**

Disclaimer:  
Castle and all its characters belong to Andrew Marlowe. this Fanfiction is just a fruit of my imagination. I do not own any of theses characters

**Chapter** **1**

Paperwork was something Kate hadn't thought about when she chose to become a homicide detective. She loved the field duty. The adrenaline rush that she got when she chased after a suspect, the need for answers and leads when she interrogated her suspects, the satisfaction she felt when she locked up the guy responsible for yet another life lost from the city.

She knew that none of these cases had anything to do with the one she started this career of hers, but she knew she'd get there someday. Someday soon she would put that bastard who killed her mom behind bars, but till then bringing justice to the dead would do. But Kate never liked paperwork. She looked over to the desk behind her and Esposito and Ryan seemed to be as bored as her. Her gaze then shifted to the chair beside her desk and a smile involuntarily crept onto her lips. She quickly hit speed dial and waited for him to pick the call.

A dial tone and three rings later came a voice she had come to love and crave, for the last two and a half years. "Detective Castle speaking". The lisp in her two year olds voice was still so evident and so adorably cute that her heart melted with the innocent sound. She replied back into the receiver "Hey sweetie!" and immediately came the excited reply "Mommy!" Kate loved the sound of that word, and she knew it was something she could never get tired of. Her little girl was her pride and joy and there was nothing in the world that could be more musical to her ears then that one simple word from those baby lips "Mommy". Kate smiled and said "what you doing honey, is daddy around?" she then heard something shuffle around some disturbance in the line, and then "Hey there beautiful, missing me already?" Kate rolled her eyes and said "did you just grab the phone from her hand?" He stuttered nervously "uh. No… I didn't. she got distracted".

Kate heard sounds from the background that indicated someone cooing her baby girl "Is that Alexis?" more excitedly now, "Rick is Alexis home?" he sighed in defeat, "Well. Looks like I can't ever keep a surprise can't i?" "Great, Alexis is home and I still got a ton of paperwork to complete and hearing Joanne's voice just now doesn't help a bit" she let out, exasperated. She predicted what he would say next "what, and Daddy castles voice doesn't get credit for tempting you to leave?" she smirked and replied "Well it depends, how do you intend to use that voice for me when I get home?" her voice dripping with flirty goodness. He knew what she wanted to hear and so he gave her exactly that "oh… well looks like you'll have to just wait and see, but I can give you a hint…" she waited, urging him to continue and he did, "my voice has a history of leaving you begging for more". The blush that crept onto her smiling face was against her own will. And she just hoped that the other officers and detectives in the precinct were too occupied with their own work to notice.

"I'll be home in a while ok, want me to get dinner?" he all but smiled knowingly when she avoided continuing their flirting and broached a subject that wouldn't involve sexual innuendos but he went along with it "no, don't worry about dinner, I got it covered, you just get yourself back home to 'Casa Castle' and let me take care of the rest". Kate loved it when he said thing like that, it only made her heart grow fonder for this man she now proudly called her husband.  
"I'll be there as soon as possible, I love you." And immediately came his reply "I love you more". Kate put her phone down and looked up at her computer screen, 6.30. She sighed heavily in frustration and continued her paperwork, in a hope to be out of here by 7.

* * *

Back at the loft, things seemed much more alive. As soon as castle put his phone back into the holder came the voice of his eldest. "What did she say, when is she coming home?" Castle looked at her and said, "How can you be so sure it was Kate?" She rolled her eyes at him, something he guessed she picked up from Kate not long after he asked her to move in with them two years ago. He just hoped his youngest wouldn't pick that up too, he couldn't take all the women in his life rolling their eyes at him at every moment he said something they thought was silly. "oh please dad, all I have to do is look at your face while you're talking to her," she chuckled, " you're like a love sick puppy." Rick thought for a moment and then said, "hmm... maybe I am" she hit him playfully on the shoulder and said "Dad! When is she coming home?" "Relax, she's just got some paperwork to finish, I told her your home, she'll be here before you know it, she can't wait to see you either." Just then Rick noticed movement at the corner of his eye and spotted his little rascal with a marker pen poised in her cute little hand pointed at the wall she was standing next to "no! no! no! noooo..."

he ran toward her and carried her and put her on his shoulders to sit on the back of his neck, her legs dangling on either side of his shoulders. She laughed and fisted his hair in her hands and said "Daddy, you have really soft hair!" and she chuckled sweetly. "I know sweety, your mom loves it too. That's why you were made" immediately he heard Alexis's voice "DAD!" and the little girl on his shoulders laughed too, completely oblivious to the reason, but yet so humoured by her father's silliness.

15 minutes later, Alexis was setting up the table for dinner, and castle was just getting done with cooking. Joanne was on the couch scribbling something in her notebook, when the lock on the front door turned, and in came Mrs Castle. Alexis squealed and ran to her and Kate pulled her into her embrace, holding on so tight to each other… Castle watched from a few feet away… the smile on Kate's face was beautiful. She seemed genuinely happy to hold Alexis after so long.

"God! Now this is something I missed a lot while you were gone" Alexis pulled back a little and smirked "what, dad didn't give you a good Castle bear hug lately?" she then stopped for a sec and continued "forget it, I don't wanna hear the answer to that." Kate put her arm around Alexis shoulder and led her in. mostly so that Alexis wouldn't catch her cheeks reddening at the thought of a passionate hug from her husband, the kind she's shared with him ever too often.

She looked over at him and saw him smiling proudly and all she wanted to do at that moment was go over to him and wipe of that smirk from his lips with hers. But another squeal from a jumping little girl on the couch caught her attention. "Mommy! Mommy! I'm here!" her arms outstretched for her mommy to come get her.

Kate all but flew to her young one and caressed her close to her heart; she breathed the scent of her baby in and sighed in contentment. This was the cream to the coffee of life; this little angel in her arms was what made coming home after a tiring day at work all worth it. Holding her baby there in the living room of their home was her favourite moment of the day. She then kissed her little forehead and said "mommy's here now.. Why don't you go get yourself set for dinner and I'll come feed you ok". Joanne nodded and then ran to her daddy's arms when Kate put her down. She watched castle lift her up and put her in her high chair at the table, she walked to the bedroom to get changed and freshen up for dinner with her family.  
Yup. Family. Her family. And she'd never want it any other way.

Richard Castle had never imagined his life to turn out the way it had. Here he was, Father of two beautiful girls, one of which is the fruit of his love for an extraordinarily amazing woman, Detective Katherine Beckett, Kate. His Kate.

He looked at Alexis, who was now seated across her little sister, making small talk with her. He laughed at his own pun. And Alexis glared at him. He quietened and waved his hand at her. He then moved toward his bedroom in search of said extraordinarily amazing woman. He saw her coming out of the bathroom dabbing her face with a towel, wearing a blue t-shirt that loosely hung on her body reaching her thighs and slacks that covered her legs well. She looked comfortable, her face rid of the unnecessary make up she used every day to highlight her beauty, her hair tied up in a messy bun with a few curls falling out to tickle her ski at her neck. Oh that neck… She was, as he said before, beautiful.

And when she looked up at him and saw him staring she smirked and said "it never gets old does it? Your staring habits, how many times do I have to tell you castle, its creepy."  
he stepd closer to her and replied "im surprised your not used to it by now. It's difficult not to stare at you… it's been years and yet I find it hard to believe that anyone could be this beautiful"  
he was in her personal space now, and she didn't mind one bit. She loved the proximity. The warmth he radiated was soothing. Sometimes she wondered if they could one day try putting the heater off and see if his warmth was enough to keep her feeling warm. But she pushed that thought aside for a day when it was just the two of them at home.

Right now, she put her arms around his neck and his reached around her waist. He tilted his face to her and she brushed her lips softly against his and hummed her appreciation. He smiled and kissed her more deeply this time, pulling her dangerously close to his body, she was lost in his toe curling kiss. It was always like that with Castle. His touch would do things to her body without her permission. No other man could ever make her feel the same way he did. He knew exactly how her body liked to be treated and he never disappointed.

When she pulled away, panting, he smiled proudly at his ability to leave her breathless, she pressed her forehead to his and whispered softly "wow" he chuckled and said "right back atcha"  
she then buried her head into the crook of his neck and inhaled him in. He smelt of spice, wood, and charm.. Whatever that scent was. But he was hers and that's all that matters.

She said "how about we go have dinner with the kids then tuck them in and resume that kiss later?" he pretended to think about it for a min and she looked up at him, confused, wondering what he was so busy pondering bout. And then finally he said "nah, let's just resume right now" he leaned in again and she put a finger to his lips just before they reached hers.  
"Rick, we'll have plenty of time to do that later, and if you behave, I might just let you spank me too" she saw his eyes light up. She laughed and continued "but now, let's get back to dinner, I don't want Alexis suspecting what we're doing in here."

she began walking toward the door and heard him follow her, whining and mumbling something about his daughter being too smart for his own good.

Dinner was delicious as expected. One thing Kate had learned to love was Castle's excellence skills in the kitchen. She never had to worry about a burnt kitchen; in fact he took more care of the kitchen than she did. And it seemed right, cause on nights when she had to work late at the precinct; he'd prepare dinner for them.

Sometimes he'd even feed Joanne and put her to bed. But Joanna was a pampered little child. She never went to sleep without a kiss from both her parents. So on nights like those, he'd have a hard time getting her to even close her eyes. She was her mama's pet. Richard castle never knew love until he saw it in his wife's eyes the day Joanne was born.

But tonight, Kate was at home. And right now, she was upstairs rocking her little angel in her arms, singing a soft tune in her ears. Kate looked at Joanne with so much awe. Even while sleeping, she managed to take her breath away. She kissed her cheek softly and put her down to sleep. She dimmed the lights and pulled the door a little keeping her eyes fixed on her baby. When she was sure she was sound asleep, she moved to join Alexis and castle downstairs.

she spotted castle giving Alexis a light kiss on her head, and then Alexis turned towards her saying "i think I'm gonna hit the bed early tonight, I'm really tired" Kate smiled knowingly and said "that's fine, you must be exhausted, go ahead"

Alexis kissed her cheek and ran upstairs saying "goodnight dad, goodnight Kate"

and now, they were alone. He smiled at her cheekily. She raised an eyebrow at him and turned to get a pair of wine glasses out. He moved around her, getting a bottle of wine out from the cabinet.

And in a few minutes, they were sitting cosily on the couch Kate resting in the arms of her lover. While some movie played on their DVR. Their wine glasses now empty, and his attention more on the woman in his arms than on the screen, he leaned into her and began kissing her soft lips.

This was what she loved about their life. However tough or however tiring the day maybe, it was worth it, if it meant coming home to be in these arms, to be kissed the way he was kissing her now, and to be in this beautiful bubble of care he was holding her in. she allowed him to take her to another world when he kissed her, it was like the world and all the crime in it cud go screw itself, cause when she was in his arms, there was nothing bad in the world.  
Everything felt right, everything felt good. the movements of his lips against hers sent shivers through her body, leaving her skin tingling, and yes you may think she'd be used to it by now, after two years of being married to him, two years of coming home to this, but no, with Castle, every day was new, every day he found a way to touch a new corner of her soul that ignited a flame within her, that melted her heart at the depths of his love for her.

And she loved giving back to him just as much. She fervently kissed him back, allowing his lips to participate in a game of dominance with hers. Both fighting to suck on a lower lip. Until he'd smile and let her win only because he'd want to start a whole new game with her, they shifted to get more comfortable on the couch, he was as good as on top of her and she didn't mind one bit.

There was only one man in the world that she would allow to take control of her body and that was him. His hand moved under her t-shirt and she giggled in the kiss. His touch on her stomach was so gentle, it was as if he was touching glass, and she knew that's what he always saw her as, a beautiful, delicate work of art. And he was no stranger to good works of art, he surely knew how to appreciate a master piece when he saw one, and right now, he was doing exactly that.

Kate curled her hand around his neck, pulling him closer to deepen the kiss, he moaned in delight, readily obeying her command. His lips slowly move down to her neck and she turned her head to the side, giving him greater access, more skin to love. She could feel his arousal through his jeans, he was unintentionally grinding himself against her thigh a desperate need for even a little friction, but he didn't voice his needs yet. Right now, he seemed so focused on making her feel good.

A soft whisper of his name left her lips, and he took it as encouragement to continue his ministrations. His hand crept higher up her t-shirt and she fisted the fabric of his shirt at his shoulder blades, knowing very well what effect his hand can have on her if he does what she knows he will, next. And just then, as if on cue, there were footsteps from the staircase and a sudden gasp and an "oh my god! I'm sorry. M so sorry, I didn't think you guys were still here".

It all happened so fast, that when Kate sat up with a start and turned to look, Alexis was now facing the other way, her back to them and her hands over her eyes, still mumbling apologies, and to her side was a very embarrassed Castle holding a cushion over his crotch, in an attempt to not embarrass himself more. Kate cursed herself for putting Alexis in this situation, they should have known better than to have a heavy make out session on the couch in the family room when Alexis was home.

And now here they were feeling like two teenagers caught in the act. Kate was the first to speak "Alexis, sweety, we're so sorry, we shouldn't have been… I mean… we didn't think."  
Kate was stammering now, how DO you justify such a situation like that to your daughter? But Alexis quickly replied "that's ok, I just came down for a glass of water,"  
she moved into the kitchen quickly, took a bottle from the fridge, "I'm sorry, I interrupted whatever you guys were… uh" she chuckled  
".. Ok, I'm going back to bed... goodnight you two"  
they once again called out goodnight to their eldest daughter, castle adding a little "I'm sorry honey"

Kate looked at his face, and he had this impish grin, and oh how she wanted to wipe it off of his face with her lips, but right now, she had other things to think about  
"Rick! This is not funny ok, this is the second time she's had to witness this, and I don't think it's something you should be happy about"  
He put his hand to her waist pulling her in for a kiss again saying "ok, we'll be careful next time" but she held him away and said "Rick! Now is next time"  
she got up from the sofa, readjusted her t-shirt and said,  
"I'm going to check on Joanne, why don't you go wait for me in the bedroom, I'll be right there and then maybe we could continue from where we left off"

she leaned down and placed a chaste kiss on his nose and walked away with a purposeful sway in her hips, which by the way, did not go un-noticed by castle.


	2. Chapter 2

******Disclaimer:  
Castle and all its characters belong to Andrew Marlowe. this Fanfic is just a fruit of my imagination. I do not own any of theses characters**

* * *

**Chapter 2**

When Kate awoke the next morning, the sunlight making its way through the blinds and setting rays of orange and yellow all over the room, she closed her eyes again, willing herself to fall back asleep. The comfort she was in was like no other.

Their bed, the soft heaven that it was, spoilt her right from her first time with castle, that stormy night three years ago. And to add to its comfort, was this man lying with her on it, spooning her body to his.

Kate blushed at the feeling of their bodies bear and touching. These days they rarely fell asleep naked, they would make sure they were clothed, so that if Joanna made her way into their room in search of them, on nights she couldn't sleep, they would be decent enough for her. But last night was something else;

There was a fire within them that wanted to be expressed to the other in the most passionate sex ever. And that's exactly what they had, definitely top 5 Kate thought to herself, as she concentrated on the feel of that strong chest on her back rising and falling with every inhale of her scent. It's true, Castle had even told her that numerous times, he loved her scent; he'd even said that it was one of the major aspects of her beauty.

They had exhausted themselves to such an extent the earlier night, that this morning she woke with muscle aches and joint pains. But she wasn't complaining. It was the good kind of pain. Totally worth it.

Castle had suggested that they put on limited clothing before they fell asleep, but she pulled him closer, draped herself around him and sleepily said "no, just stay this way tonight." He chuckled and said, "Are you alright? Do you have a fever or something?" she hit his chest playfully and said  
"shhhh… Joanne's sleeping peacefully, I checked, motherly instincts tell me tonight's dreams are good."

Castle smiled and that, "and what do your wifely instincts tell you about me?" she looked up to him, at his lips and said "well she's not the only one whose going to have good dreams"

and they kissed softly until they fell into deep slumber.  
But right now, Kate needed to get up, it was almost time for Joanne to wake up and she had to go get her. She shifted a little, in an attempt to not wake her sleeping husband, but he pulled her tight to him and mumbled something incoherently. Kate laughed and tried to wiggle a bit, finally turning in his embrace to look at him.

He looked so adorable, his skin shining in the light rays of the suns glow, his face so young and childish, his hair ruffled, she was not sure if that was done by her hands or his pillow. She hoped it was the former. Suddenly his lips moved "you know its creepy when you stare at me like that"

she laughed softly and said "well looks like your ways are rubbing off on me" she stopped, reflected on what she just said and then continued "ok that sounded a lot better in my head"

he opened his baby blues now, they were shining with delight and he leaned in and kissed her softly, "how about we do some more of your rubbing off business?"  
she said "ok writer boy, it's alright if I say something like that, but I expect you to have a little more charm" she ran her hand through his hair, enjoying the feel of the softness against her fingers.  
He said "ok, how about this, let's get under these sheets again, so that I can prove to you again that I'm your Writer Man and not some Writer boy"  
he began to pull the sheets higher above them, but she stopped him and placed a kiss on his cheek and said "not now, right now, I want to go and hold my baby girl."  
She began to move out from under the sheets so castle grabbed her pillow and held it tight to his chest and said, "bring her in here, I want to hold her too."

Kate pulled her robe on and tied it at her waist and put on a fresh pair of underwear. She then threw a pair of his boxers at him and smirked "make yourself decent enough and I'll bring her in"  
she walked out into his study and then into the living room.  
Alexis was already up, sitting at the kitchen counter, she went over to her "hey honey, good morning! Did you sleep well?" Alexis was sipping her mug of coffee, she smiled back and replied "Kate! Morning! Yup I had a good sleep. Home's always more comfortable than college dorm rooms."  
Kate moved around the counter to make herself a mug of coffee, and one for Rick too.  
"What would you like for breakfast? Pancakes? Scrambled eggs? Anything, u name it."  
Alexis's eyes lit up, "pancakes sounds good to me!"  
Kate warmly smiled at her and said "well then pancakes it is." Kate looked to the coffee for a second and then continued "your dad and I miss you a lot when you're away! He's so glad your home too, even if it's just for a week or so."  
Alexis put her hand on Kate's, resting on the counter and said, "I'd never miss an opportunity to come home, you know that"

and just that warm gesture was enough to make Kate's morning perfect, she came around the corner and kissed Alexis on her forehead while pulling her into her embrace and Alexis exhaled heavily relaxing in an embrace she'd come to love.

Alexis only used the word 'Mom' for her in situations similar to these, when they shared a moment; otherwise, she referred to her as Kate. And Kate really didn't mind.

To her, Alexis would always be her daughter, and she promised the girl she would always be here for her, as a mother, a friend, she'd be everything she can for her cause she was Family and Kate loved her family.

When they pulled away, Kate smiled and said, "how about we go get your sister now, it's almost time for her breakfast too" They walked into Joanne's room, hoping to find her sound asleep. But Joanne was not sound asleep in her bed, and neither was she awake, her bed was empty!

"Joanne!" "Jo, where are you baby?" Kate called out panick stricken!

Alexis called out for her too, checking out in the hallway, wondering if her adventurous little sister crawled out and was just hiding somewhere to play around with them!

Suddenly Alexis heard a strangled cry from Joanne's room; it wasn't a child's cry, no! It was Kate! She ran back towards the room and now she could hear Kate calling out for her dad! "Rick! Oh my god! Rick!"

Alexis entered the room and saw Kate holding a hand against her mouth, trembling, sobbing, shivering in fear, her eyes met hers, and then Alexis spotted the letter in Kate's hand. 'No, this couldn't be happening. No!' thought Alexis, her own panick getting the best of her, tears forming in her eyes, and then came the sound of footsteps coming to the room,  
"Kate, Kate what's wrong?" and then he saw it, the letter in Kate's hand, the look of fear and panick in his wife and daughters eyes, Joanne's cradle empty, the little sheets and bedding thrown all over the room, her toys thrown around!  
'His heart began to beat rapidly! "no!" softly he exclaimed at first, but then more loudly to his wife "where is she Kate?"

and all Kate could say was "she's been kidnapped Rick, someone has taken our baby!" and she fell to the ground, unmoving and speechless as the words she just heard herself say, sunk in.

* * *

Kate was pacing the floor, Castle was talking to the mayor on the phone, Rob was a family friend and he was willing to do anything to help them.

Martha had rushed home from her acting studio as soon as she heard about it from Alexis. And just like that, everyone who mattered in their life, were now here at the Castle's loft, mixed emotions running through all of them! Kate hadn't said a word ever since castle and Alexis helped her up and moved her to sit on the sofa, knowing that her legs gave way because of the shock of the situation, she sat for a while, but then she couldn't anymore, not when she knew her child was out there somewhere with some criminal, scared and away from her parents. She couldn't fathom in her mind, how exactly she was supposed to deal with this.

The letter she had found in the room revealed nothing; there was no clue in it that would give them a hint as to who was behind this. And it was rather stupid to ask whether the family had enemies, what with Kate being a Homicide detective.

She had put away hundreds of Criminals behind bars, the list of enemies she could have would be endless. And so here she was, pacing the floor of the living room ignoring the looks of pity she was getting from everyone in the room. She didn't need that right now. Right now, she wanted to find this son of a bitch who took their daughter away.

Esposito, Lanie, Ryan, Jenny, Jim, everyone was here. The FBI had now set up their equipment awaiting a call from the kidnappers asking for a ransom in exchange for their daughter.

Castle ended his call, and took a good look around, everyone that cared for Joanne was here, There were 3 FBI agents who were assigned here to do everything they can to get a track on the kidnapper had he tried to make contact, and there was a body that was continuously moving he noticed from the corner of his eye.

Kate. He knew what she must be going through; he felt the exact pain too. The worry, the anger, the fear for their baby's life. He also knew Kate was hoarding her emotions inside her, hence the pacing. A normal mother would be crying her heart out for her child, but no, Kate was not like other mothers, she was unique. She never let the world know what was going through her head. She had mastered the art of hiding her weaknesses after years of being a cop. Her poker face was as good as they come. That's how she got the toughest of criminals to break apart in interrogation.

And Castle had learnt everything about her in those four years of research for his Nikki heat books. So now, he was the only person in the room she would open up to, because he was the only person who had managed to creep into crevice in the walls she built around herself.  
And she allowed him in there, she loved keeping him there.

Castle moved toward her, held her at her elbow and ushered her into his study. And when he knew they were alone and out of ears reach, he stood in front of her, she looked up into his eyes and he saw the change in her eyes immediately, and before he could even think of what to do next, she had buried her face into the crook of his neck, sobbing, crying bitterly.

he'd never seen her this way before, so broken, but she had every right to be, and so he held her, held her tight to him, and he couldn't help the tears that formed in his own eyes. They held on to each other for life, both feeling helpless and fearful.

Her body shook in his arms, her sobs getting more intense with each second. And Castle finally spoke then, softly soothing her back with his hands "Kate, we're gonna bring her back home safe and sound, u hear me?, nothing is going to happen to her! You and I, we will bring her home. I promise I'll bring her home Kate" he whispered now "I promise!" saying it as much to himself as to his broken hearted wife.

Castle knew one thing for sure, he would go to the ends of the earth to bring his daughter back home, he had done it for Alexis, he would do it again, in fact, he would go through worse if it meant bringing her back to Kate. Kate, Joanne and Alexis are his life now. And he was not going to let some bastard take his life away!

Kate had promised herself she wouldn't let herself break, that she would be strong for Joanne. But when she looked into those blue eyes, Castles blue eyes, she knew they weren't like the others in the living room. They weren't a look of pity.

They were eyes that showed nothing but understanding and care and she knew he reflected every emotion she was feeling, he always had. They have always been on the same page. Joanne was the fruit of their undying love for each other. He loved her to the ends of the earth.

Castle was the only person who had any idea what she would be going through, because he was going through it too. And so, she let down her guard and the minute she clung on to him she felt her body go weak, her legs gave way again and those strong arms she'd come to love were now holding her up. He was holding her tight. Her body was trembling but she felt numb.

It felt like hours before she heard him say something. He was promising her something. Castle was a stickler for promises. He always lived up to them. And so she just kissed his shoulder where her lips were, knowing fully well that he would fix this, Fix her family.

He was her Handyman after all. He'd fixed her up with his books when she was dealing with her mom's death years ago. He'd fixed her up when she was dealing with her PTSD after being shot, after being given a second chance at life. He'd fixed her life up when he took her into his home that stormy night after almost being thrown off a roof top by a ruthless assassin.

And when he made her his wife and gave her the gift of motherhood, she had been repaired and made whole, brand new. And here he was today, promising her that he would bring their baby home, back to her, back to them, he would fix this.


	3. Chapter 3

**AN:  
All you lovely people of this amazing fandom, thank you for giving my first FF a chance. I hope its something you like reading. please leave me a review, I'd love to hear what you think of this story.**

* * *

**Chapter 3**

The call came at around noon.

A gruff, un recognizable voice, stating that Joanne was with him, and that he would call again to inform them about the ransom they would need to give him in exchange for their daughter. But castle asked to hear his daughter, to make sure she was alright.

And when they heard her cries, she was crying for her mother, Kate could hear her continuously calling out for her in between her sobs. And that did it for her; she immediately stood up, not waiting or wanting to hear more of what the kidnapper wanted to say.  
She strode into the kitchen wanting a little privacy and began scanning through her contacts on her phone. She knew there was one person she could count on to help bring Joanne home safely.  
And she was sure he'd help her. She was sure he wouldn't deny her this.

But just as she was going to hit the call button, castle was behind her, she turned to him and all he said was, "I don't think we need his help yet."

And she glared at him, her eyes telling him very clearly that nothing could stop her from contacting him now, but he still held his gaze. "Castle, i just heard my daughter crying for me, I don't know what state she's in, and I don't know what he's doing to her and I'm not going to just sit around here waiting for another call! Now you can try to stop me and be a victim of my ability to physically harm you for stopping me, or you can let me call him and let him help us get to her faster!"

he knew there was nothing he could say to stop her, so he watched as she hit call and held the phone upto her ear.

And after half a min of waiting she finally spoke when he picked up the call, "Hi, Will?" "Yea, this is Kate here" "no, actually I need your help on a case" "no, not like that, this is more personal… it's my daughter, she's been kidnapped"

* * *

Kate knew castle was never a fan of FBI agent Will Sorenson. She didn't expect him to be either.

Kate had introduced Will to him on one of their cases in the first year that castle began following her around. And castle had almost walked in on them just before they were about to kiss.

She had always wanted to know what was going through his mind immediately after that incident. And she approached that topic one night, this last year. He had told her how, at that point of time he had already started growing feelings for her even after knowing she didn't reciprocate them.

And every time he saw Will after that incident his blood would boil. All he wanted to do was punch the daylights out of the guy and also that smug grin he had on his face, one that said to him "you'll never have her."

Kate had laughed at his animated explanation a year ago when he explained his insecurities to her, but then she had kissed him passionately and told him that she found it really cute that he was jealous. She went on to assure him that she was never going to get back with him, even if that kiss hadn't been interrupted, and she also thanked him for interrupting them.

She said "Rick, I'm all yours. You had me since the time I first read your books, right from the first word; I was smitten, even though I didn't know you then. It was a secret crush that only Will knew about, and now you do too"

he had smugly replied, signalling their complete nakedness under the sheets, "well, it's pretty clear that it's no longer a secret crush."  
She had hit him playfully, and the fell into a slumber together.

But today, Kate knew that however much Castle hated the guy, if it meant getting their daughter back, he would go with it. He would work with Sorenson, for their baby.  
When Sorenson entered the loft, after finishing the paperwork with the higher authorities who had finally agreed on letting him take point on this case, he first looked around in search of Kate, and when he saw her he walked straight up to her, he put his hand forward and she imitated his gesture shaking his hand both keeping straight faces. And then he spoke, "I'll do everything I can Kate. You have my word."

She nodded in acknowledgement. He then turned to the other agents in the room who brought him up to speed on the abduction case. Kate looked around the room now, Lanie and the guys had been called in. A body had dropped a few hours ago and they had to leave.  
But Martha and Jim were still here, and that felt good enough. She knew this incident will leave a bad scar on all their lives, the fear of losing someone so dear to them all.

Joanne was Jim's only grandchild and she was, no, is the apple of his eye. He always loved being around her. He said she looked so much like Kate, who was already a clone of her mother. And Martha, well Martha had grabbed every chance since Joanne's birth to pamper the little girl. She loves her so much; she would spend hours together cooing the little girl, entertaining her, showering her with kisses.  
Kate could only imagine that's how Castle grew up to be such a loving man. He grew up under the wings of a mother like Martha. And she hoped that Martha would share the magic of those wings with Joanne too.

Kate suddenly realized that Rick had disappeared way too long. She walked into the study, but he was not there. She opened the bedroom door to find him seated at the edge of the bed his face in his hands.

His form looked tired, frustrated. She stepped in, closed the door behind her and sat at his side. She put her hand on his shoulder and he looked up, not needing to look to know who was sitting beside him.

She watched him let out a heavy exhale and then he spoke up, "Assure me, that the bad feeling I'm getting within me about this whole idea of letting Sorenson work this case, is just crazy."

She slipped her hand into his and he held it, she rested her head on his shoulder and said softly "he's here to help, he's the best there is Rick. He's here to help us get Joanne back."

Castle quickly interjected "you yourself told me Kate, that the case you had worked with him years before I met you, that you'll found the kid, but it was too late, how can we trust that he'll…. How do I know that by the time he finds her she'll still be…. "

Kate didn't let him complete that sentence; she put a finger to his lips and silenced him. "Castle, I don't know what else to do ok, I'm grasping at straws here, he's the best help we can get, and I'm not going to let this opportunity slide just cause of his failed cases. He's worked many cases like these... most of them successfully. So I need you to trust him with Joanne's life ok. Just go with this Rick! Please! For me!"

she choked on her last word, unable to hold her tears in anymore, hell, she too was as scared as he was, but she knew one thing, Sorenson cared for her, and he wouldn't let her down.  
Not in such a situation.

And so she held castle's hand tighter, and said more convincingly now, commanding, "you and I will work with him, and co-operate fully, because we have a strong chance at this, with his help, at bringing her back home safe and sound. You are going to go out there and shake his hand and hold nothing against him, because he is doing this for us, he came here at my request even though I ended things badly with him."

Castle abruptly stood up then and walked out of the room, Kate quickly following behind him. She watched as he went up to Sorenson, said something like 'thanks for doing this', and shook his hand.  
Will nodded, acknowledging him and then continued his work.  
Castle walked back up to Kate and she looked into his eyes and said "thank you."


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Castle was standing at a window at the far corner of his study, staring out into the darkness.

It was past midnight and all he could think about was if Joanne was sleeping or not, whether she was hurt, or crying, or even worse, unconscious. His fists clenched at the thought. Oh how he would kill that bastard when he got hold of him! Whoever this animal was, he was a heartless man to take a child away from her home, from her mother and father, and then demand money in exchange for her.  
He was putting a price on her life and Rick felt sick at the thought. Joanne was not something you could put a price on. She was a priceless gift to his life, just like Alexis, when Joanne was born, it changed his life. She made him a better man and just as he did for Alexis, he was ready to put his life on the line for her.

If the price for her life was his, he'd readily give it up. His life's dreams were all mostly fulfilled; she still had years of dreams to make true. He knew that if Kate ever found out what he was thinking about right now she would have slapped him. She'd break at the thought of losing him in a bargain of getting her daughter back. But that was not going to stop him if it came down to that.  
He knew if it did, Kate would forgive him one day in the future.

Kate. where was she right now? He walked to the living room and found her sitting beside Martha, deep in thought. Alexis was wide awake too, none of them could even think of sleeping right now. There were more important things to think about. Just then he spotted Sorenson move to pick up a call on his cell phone.  
He ignored him, allowing his gaze to travel back to where the rest of his family was situated. Sorenson returned to his seat at the desk set up by his team near the phone to track ransom calls, and just as he sat down the phone began to ring. Everyone's eyes turned to the phone.

Kate hurried towards it, hand steady on it, looking towards Sorenson to check if he was recording it and when he nodded for her to answer she did.

The message was clear. The kidnapper asked for a sum of 5 million dollars and said to arrange for the money until he informs them of the time and venue where the exchange would happen. He also said he wants the writer to be the one to do the exchange and not the cop. Of course, he was trying to avoid making contact with an angry mother who was well trained to take him down.

Castle arranged for the money. According to Sorenson, they were going to follow the instructions given to them by the kidnapper. And now, all they could do was wait. The pressure was getting to all of them.

* * *

It was early morning now, and Castle was in his study, sitting at his desk, and just waiting. He heard the sound of a voice and got curious.

It was Sorenson's voice, he walked out of his study and saw him sitting really close to Kate. It was just them in the living room, he was whispering assurances to her, and she looked so broken.  
Sorenson put his arm around Kate and castle felt his blood boil.

He had no right to feel this way right now, Kate was in a state where she needed comfort and Sorenson was giving her that. But castle wanted to be the only one who could do that, so of course he was uncomfortable.

And then to add to his discomfort at the scene, Kate leaned into Sorenson and began crying at his shoulder. Castle was not goanna stand here and watch this.

He walked in and sternly said "what's our next move?"

Kate looked to him, wiped her eyes, straightening herself up, he was not making eye contact with her, she knew something was up.  
Sorenson took his arm off Kate and stood "All we can do now is wait for the next call. I suggest you get some rest , you're going to need to be alert and awake when the time comes."

Castle looked at him, then at Kate, and back at him and said "I don't need rest." Kate glared at him "Castle…"  
he interrupted "I said I don't need rest. Period!"

Kate was outraged with his stubbornness. She was just about to say something back to him, when Sorenson's phone began to ring. He excused himself and walked away to take his call. Now that they had some privacy, Kate took her chance and said "Rick, what is wrong with you, why are you acting this way!?"

"why am I acting this way? You've got to be kidding me!"

"What are you talking about, you're being stubborn!"

"stubborn?! Wow. U know what? I really don't need this conversation right now!" he started walking away.

Kate called out to him "Castle don't u ignore me, come back here!". But castle walked on, enraged.

But neither he, nor Kate knew where this anger was coming from. Kate plopped herself on the couch again, and ran her hand through her hair, she was suddenly feeling frustrated! She couldn't believe how Castle was acting. And of all the times to play the jealousy card, he picked now?!

Castle walked straight back into his study, not realizing that the room was already occupied. He was startled when he heard Sorenson's voice, this time, talking animatedly to someone on the phone. Castle was never one to eavesdrop but there was something suspicious about the way he spoke. He hid himself so that Sorenson wouldn't know he was in the same room and listened in.

"No, you do exactly as I say!"

"Just give her something to eat, she'll shut up!"

"Yea, just wait a few minutess and then do it, not immediately I don't want this slipping out of our hands"

"you're damn right I'm serious! Now just do as you're told!"

he then cut the call and walked briskly out, composing himself on the way.

Castle suddenly had so many things rushing through his mind! He wasn't even sure if it was just his writer's imagination that was working his mind up. He needed to stop thinking so much! He needed something to numb his mind! His over imaginative brain was making up wild theories in his head that couldn't possibly be true.

so he reached into his cabinet behind his desk and poured himself a half glass of scotch. He gulped it down quickly, the burn of the scotch down his throat making him shiver. And he was brought out of his trance by the sound of the phone ringing. He got up quickly and ran to watch from the doorway, as Kate picked up the call and wrote down an address. Castle needed to do something soon. He needed to find out the truth.

* * *

Kate walked to Castles study, and saw him putting his coat on, she asked him from the doorway at the same time noticing the bottle of scotch and the glass on his desk "Where are you going?"

He looked at her, but didn't answer, she walked toward him keeping a straight face and continued "The guy said to meet him at a parking lot at 11pm tonight with the money, not now, so where do you think you're going?"

Castle finally stopped moving about and now looked at her and said "I'm going to find my daughter"

Kate now raised her voice, unable to control her emotions anymore. "What the hell Castle! How much did you drink? Why can't you just follow instructions! Or are you just incapable of doing the right thing!"

He didn't look like anything was going to stop him, so she continued "you know what you're doing Castle, instead of making this easier, you're only making it harder!"

he replied now "oh, am I now?"

"of course you are? Like right now, you're all ready to go and do your own thing without even thinking or explaining where and why! What's the whole point of having an experienced FBI agent here to help us if you're going to take matters into your own hands, are you trying to cause me more pain?"  
her heart clenched as the words came out of her mouth, but he seemed unmoved. It was as if he built a wall in front of him that wouldn't let her get through to him.

"I'm causing you pain? Wow. Firstly, it wasn't my idea to call Sorenson, secondly, he's not helping at all. But oh wait, he's no help to me, but he surely is for you. That was a pretty courageous move he made in there, offering you a shoulder to cry on, holding you close and…."

"Oh my god! Castle I can't believe I'm hearing this! Seriously! Of all the times, you pick now to get jealous? Now, when our baby girl is being held hostage? Will was just trying to be nice. He may be my ex castle, but he still cares, as a friend. And that's all he did, offered his comfort, as a friend. you're blowing this whole thing out of proportion."

"A friend?! Please! I don't wanna hear this now, I've got more important things to do than to hear you make excuses for your ex's attempt to make a move on you"

she couldn't take it anymore! "CASTLE! How dare you…"

"Enough!" his voice loud and over-powering. "I'm getting out of here!" he moved past her and she said back to him "where are you going?"

"I told you, I'm going to get my baby girl"

"and where do you think you're going to find her. You have no clue whose behind this."

"I do, but you won't believe me if I told you"

"try me!" she softly challenged.

"I have evidence that Sorenson is behind the whole thing."

Her eyes widened and she yelled "you're right, I don't believe you!"

she tried to calm herself down. She took a deep breath, and continued "You know what castle, your clearly drunk, now get your coat and shoes off and go get some sleep, you need to be sober for later"

he replied immediately "I'm not drunk. I have fatherly instincts, and they worked when I saved Alexis's life, years ago. I'm sure I'm right this time around too"

"fatherly instinct?!, are you kidding me Castle? Are you even listening to yourself?"

Instantly came his reply, "you're the one who's not listening to me. You're deafened by the charm of a certain FBI agent, who according to me, has something to do with the kidnaping of our child. Now I'm not going to sit around here and watch you trust him over me. So dare, you stop me from going out to get my baby back!"

Saying this he walked out and Kate heard the front door slam shut!


	5. Chapter 5

**AN: Wow! you guys are amazing! has anybody told you that before? ;) thanks for all your support. here's the next chapter: **

* * *

Chapter 5

She closed her eyes in disbelief! Castle had gone to such extents. Her rage was uncontrollable!

She strode to his desk and threw all of his stuff off the table, groaning in frustration. She then took his empty glass of scotch and threw it at the opposite wall, watching the glass shattering to pieces!  
Cause that's exactly what her heart felt like right now.  
Broken, shattered into numerous pieces. Her husband had just accused her of still having feelings for her ex, who was here in her living room, helping them find the son of a bitch who had taken their daughter.

And he was accusing the very same ex, the FBI agent of being the guy behind the kidnapping! She knew he must be hallucinating! He was going crazy and he was hurting her in the process!

Her legs were getting weak again, so when Will rushed into the study after hearing the sound of the glass breaking and came to hold her, she let herself fall in his embrace. She was numb. She was scared, alone and worried, and nothing could make her feel ok right now.

Castle walked out on her, leaving her all alone here to drown in her sorrow. She couldn't breathe anymore.

When Kate opened her eyes, she wanted to close them again, her head ached, her body felt lifeless. She was here lying in their bed. She must have passed out after Castle left, she looked to the clock on their bedside table, it was 3pm in the afternoon.

She sat up, and looked around her; there was a glass of water kept aside for her. She sipped at it and then stood to go wash her face in the sink. When she entered the living room this time, Alexis and Martha were back home.  
They both looked to her and beckoned her to join them on the couch. As she walked over to her she looked around to see if Castle had returned. But he was nowhere in sight. She sat herself down, and then Martha began to speak, "Darling, Kate, what happened? Will here, told us you had a fight with Richard and then he left, and you passed out soon after. Is everything alright?"

and then Alexis chimed in, "What did he say Kate, where did he go?"

Kate spotted Will listening in on the conversation; he too wanted to know what the arguing was all about. But Kate suddenly felt a pang of guilt.

She drove Castle out. She had yelled at him without giving him a chance to explain himself. Even though she knew whatever he would say to explain himself would be utter nonsense cause she trusted Will enough to know he would never do something like that.

But the least she could have done was hear castle out. After all he was her husband; he was going through as much torment as she was.

But still, he had no right to accuse Will of trying to make a move on her. That was totally out of line. She was pulled out of her reverie when she heard Will's voice, "will he be back in time to go get Joanne back, to make the exchange?"

and Kate suddenly didn't want to tell them about their argument earlier. She knew that if she relived it in her mind, she would break down again, right now, her angel was missing, away from home, and her Husband had claimed he was going to get her back, but she had a bad feeling he was going to do something reckless.

She simply looked up at them and said "he said he'll be back soon, he just needed some fresh air."

Martha realized Kate was avoiding talking about it, but she didn't push. Instead she just reached out for Kate's hand and gave her a squeeze and whispered "it'll be alright kiddo, don't worry"

and all Kate could think of saying at that moment was "I wish it were that easy Martha, We really screwed up this time around. Both of us." the stress that both of them were going through had caused both of them to say such hurtful things to each other.

But she didn't want to tell anyone about it just yet, she wanted to fix this as soon as Castle got home. So she silently nodded her head at Martha.

Martha stood up and said, "Kate, why don't you get some food into your stomach, you've not eaten anything since… well since all of this started" Kate began to shake her head, but Martha didn't look like she was going to take no for an answer.

She brought Kate some snacks from the kitchen and said "I'm not going to let you starve, you already passed out once. Joanne needs you to be awake when she returns home" At the thought of holding her baby again, Kate agreed to eat something. Cause right now, all she wanted was to be awake when her baby came back home.

* * *

It was 6 pm now, and Kate was getting so worried about Castle, he wasn't home yet, he was not returning any of her calls.  
She had left him so many voice mails and messages but he hadn't replied to any of them, and it was all too scary for her. She had even called up Esposito and Ryan to check if they knew where he was, but they had no clue either.

Finally, Alexis came up to her and told her that he sent a message to her phone saying "Tell Kate not to worry about me, I'll be home soon. See that she eats something. Love you"

The caring husband that he was… he was angry with her, yet cared enough to ensure that she had food in her stomach, why couldn't he understand she had the same cares for him.

Kate was still not sure whether she was angry with him or not, he was being totally irrational, but then again, he had a wild imagination. She knew he must have had some wild theory to explain himself but she didn't give him a chance.

Another hour flew by, waiting for him to come home. Alexis and Martha were now in the living room and she was here, sitting at the edge of their bed, trying to think of a way to apologize to him and get him to think straight too. Their child was in danger, and at this moment, they need to be here for each other, not yelling and arguing and walking out on the other.

They were supposed to be able to trust each other. Her train of thought was interrupted by a figure at the door. She looked up to find will staring at her. She wiped a tear that had managed to roll down her cheek and said "hey"  
he entered and sat down beside her. "hey you"

they sat in silence for a while until he spoke up again, "it's not your fault you know, he walked out of here angry, he left you all by yourself when he's supposed to be the one comforting you."

Kate didn't respond. And then she felt Wills hand on her thigh, not too high but high enough to make her feel a little uncomfortable, but she pushed the thought away, Will was just trying to comfort her, something Castle didn't wait around to do.  
As soon as the thought made its way into her head, she mentally slapped herself. No! She would not let herself go there.

She looked at him and nodded with a small smile. He lightly squeezed her jean clad thigh and said "He clearly doesn't care for you the same way I thought he did years ago. He wouldn't have left you here alone all to yourself if that was the case."

She couldn't take it anymore. She finally spoke up, sternly, with a challenging look in her eye "What are you implying Will?"

he stood up and walked a few steps to the door and said, "Kate, I know you're not stupid, look around you and you'll know who are the people who really love you."

Kate couldn't hold her anger in now. She stood up and yelled "Castle was right about you..."

Before she had time to continue she heard the front door open, and many voices filled the room. They both walked briskly into the living room, curious to know what was going on. And that's when she saw her.

Joanne, her baby girl, in the arms of her father, her Castle.

Castle had brought her home. He kept his promise. She ran to them "Oh my god, You're home!" she was not sure if the relief that was so clear in her voice was just for seeing her daughter, or for seeing her husband back home too, but she didn't care.  
She took her from Castle's arms and caressed her close to her heart, whispering sweet nothings and assurances into her baby's ears. Her love, her darling Joanne was home, safe, in her arms.

Joanne clung on tight to her mommy. She was scared and Kate could feel the fear in her just by the way she was holding on to her. Tears of joy that ran down her cheeks as she said to her baby "Jo, baby, you're okay, mommy's here now, I love you! God I love you so much!"


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

"Agent Will Sorenson, you are under arrest for the abduction of Joanne Castle…." Kate had not realized what was happening until she opened her eyes and saw Agent Jordan Shaw cuffing Wills hands behind his back.

And suddenly, she couldn't understand anything, when did Agent Shaw join the investigation? How on earth did Castle find Joanne? She turned to look for Castle and found him drinking a glass of water at the kitchen counter.  
She looked at him questioningly, but he didn't say a word… she then looked at Will and said "What the hell is this Will! Do you mind explaining yourself! How could you?!"  
She was disgusted; she didn't have to know the reason behind his actions, just knowing that he could do such a thing, disgusted her.

He finally looked up and spoke, with no regret in his voice "you weren't supposed to leave me Kate, we were going to be so good together. I knew if I took away the one thing the both of you lived for, that it would cause some uneasiness between the two of you, and I had to take my chance again."

Kate was outrageous; she wanted to beat the life out of him. "So you took away my baby? You know what you are Will, you're an animal! I could never love a man like you!"

Kate wanted to say so many more things, but she was beyond shocked at this moment. Shocked that this man had tried to ruin her relationship with her husband by taking away the most precious thing in their lives! she wanted to go over to him and slap him, but that would mean letting Joanne go and she couldn't do that, she was going to be holding on to Joanne for a long time now.

She turned her back to him and began walking away, cueing Agent Shaw to take him away  
"You know what Kate, I don't know what I saw in you. Buts its clear to me now, your nothing but a filthy whore, sleeping around with so many guys and then finally leaving them and settling for a Rich best-selling author who can't write for nuts"

Kate hadn't heard Castle put the glass down, but suddenly, he was in sight, walking angrily up to Will, "That's enough Sorenson, I've had enough of your non sense"  
and then his arm pulled back and he punched Will straight in the face. Will winced in pain.  
"That's for kidnapping my daughter"

then he pulled back his arm again and this time threw a harder punch in his face, a cry of pain filled the room as will fell to the ground. "And that's for calling my wife a whore!"

Castle then looked at Agent Shaw and said "get him out of my home before I lose it and kill him here!"

* * *

it was 9 pm now, and there was comparatively less commotion in the Castle household.

Kate had only let go of Joanne when Martha, Alexis and Jim wanted to hold her, but then she was glued to her for the rest of the evening.  
After Will was taken away and all evidence that the FBI had resided at their house was cleared out, the whole family finally sat down and castle had explained to them how he managed to find out that will was the kidnapper.

He told them all of how he noticed the phone calls that Will was answering which were preceded by the ransom calls. He told them of how he tried to push the thought away as his over imaginative mind making up crazy theories, but he still had to check.

So he got in touch with an old friend of theirs, Jordan. Agent Jordan Shaw had helped him track down Wills calls and they were led to an old stranded building uptown. And there, they found Joanne kept in a s,all room with a guard to watch her.

Castle had to fight unarmed with the guard because agent Shaw and her team were searching in the other parts of the building.

And when they finally caught up with him, he had hit the man unconscious, but not without getting a scar on his head himself.  
It seems Joanne was so relieved to see her Daddy; she had jumped into his arms and held him so tight. Castle had kissed her so much, delighted to see her breathing, happy, alive. After that, Castle had held Joanne close to him right up to the minute he handed her to Kate.

And now, here they were, all of them huddled around the table in the living room, silently basking in the joyous presence of their little angel.  
Kate couldn't help but notice, the smile that Castle had on his lips, was not the real deal.

He was so tired, his stubble was so prominent, and he had not said one word to her ever since he came walking in through that door with their baby girl. She knew he must still be angry with her. And he had every right to be.

As she thought about it now, she wanted him to yell at her, to scream at her for not trusting him, for not listening to him; she wanted him to vent out on her, because she deserved to be yelled at. She'd been married to him two years now, and known him all too well for 5 years prior to that. & 7 years of being together, and she all but ridiculed him when he tried to tell her what he thought was going on.

Her eyes began to tear up again, thinking of her foolishness, she was looking at him now, and he stole a glance her way and she's sure he noticed the tears welling up in her eyes.  
He looked away then, and Kate turned her attention back to her two year old. Joanne yawned, signalling to everyone that it was now time for bed. Of course she had been really tired.

So Kate stood up and after Joanne said a "goodnight" to everyone, Kate took her upstairs to bed. When she entered Joanne's room, she sat in the comfy sofa chair that was kept there for the act of nursing Joanne. Kate had stopped breast feeding her a few months ago, but it always helped Joanne sleep when she was rocked in her mommy's arms in that chair. So Kate held her close to her heart, and hummed a soft melody to her ears, eventually, she felt the little girl give in to a deep slumber. She laid her down in her bed and leaned in to place soft kisses all over her face.

She the whispered to her "Your daddy and I love you so much honey… don't ever scare us like that again ok."

She smiled at the sleeping child and then walked out of the room. just as she was closing the door she felt a body behind her. The shadow of that built and height told her it was him.

She turned and looked up to him and said "Rick..." he didn't let her complete. He moved past her, saying "let me say goodnight to her"

Kate watched from the doorway as Castle walked into the room and then lifted his baby in his arms, he kissed her like she was the most delicate little goddess. He whispered some soft words in the baby's ears and Kate smiled when Joanne stirred a little in her sleep, and then smiled. Of course, only castle knew how to make you smile in your dreams. Only Castles words could enter your soul and touch your heart. He had his ways.

And she was lucky to have him. Her mind once again filled with the events of the past two days, and she felt her heart clench.  
she had hurt this beautiful man, her husband, she had hurt him so bad, and she really wanted to make it up to him now. She just prayed he would forgive her.

Kate was pulled out of her train of thought when Castle walked back up to the doorway and passed her by to make his way to the bedroom. She followed him in and closed the door behind her. He was taking his shirt off. She could see the muscles on his back. He was tired, so exhausted. She could see it in the way his muscles flexed when he moved. She wanted to walk up behind him and massage his shoulders. He loved it when she did that. He had said once that her hands worked magic on his muscles. She smiled.

He dropped his pants to the floor, and then walked straight into the bathroom. Kate changed into a lose t-shirt and slacks and sat at the edge of the bed. She was going to talk to him when he got out. She was going to apologize and win him back. She couldn't take the silence anymore; she needed him to talk to her.

When he walked out of the bathroom, she began to say "Rick, we need to talk, rather, I need to tell you something…"

"Oh, so I'm Rick again. You keep changing that around so conveniently" he had walked to his side of the bed now.

She replied "Rick, that's not the point. The point is... I was wrong…"

he had picked up his pillow in hand, and was now peeling of one of the sheets. Kate was confused "what are you doing?"

" I'm getting ready to sleep."

He began walking towards the bedroom door.

"Rick, where are you going, we need to talk… please"  
she was pleading with him. Because right now, he was walking out, he had planned on sleeping alone tonight. He wanted to be alone. He didn't want to be near her and the pain that shot through her heart was so similar to the one she felt when she was shot by that sniper.  
Her tears were unstoppable now.

He finally stopped in his tracks and turned around to look at her.  
And all he said was "I'm sleeping on the couch tonight. I need some space. We can talk tomorrow. Night Kate"  
he turned and walked out, leaving a crying Kate behind.

* * *

**AN: So, this is all I've written so far. but I've got the rest in my head. just need to get it down on screen ;) hope you guys are still interested to know what happens next. i promise you it will have a happy ending. just stick with me.  
Reviews make me happy! :)**


	7. Chapter 7

**AN: So here's the next chapter. we're almost nearing the end of this story. hope you like it.**

* * *

**Chapter 7**

Castle laid out the sheet on the couch in his study. He sat down and ran his hand down his hair and face. He had never experienced something like this before. He had just saw Kate, with tears overflowing her eyes, standing beside their bed, obviously feeling horrible about everything that had happened, everything she said to him, everything she didn't let him say to her, everything she ignored him about.

He knew Kate wanted to apologize, but he couldn't take it, not tonight. He was tired. His eyes were hurting from the lack of sleep. He though back on the days events. He had been scared for his daughter's life. And when he saw her, he felt relieved. But he was still alone. His wife was not by his side when he had to take on that huge, armed man. He had no cover when he took that step forward to attack the man. Kate was not near him. Kate was at home, thinking he was ridiculous to think that Sorenson would kidnap their daughter. Castle felt alone. Betrayed.

He fought with the man with one aim in his mind, and that was to bring Joanne home to Kate. But Kate, Kate had not even cared to listen to what he had to say, and that hurt. It hurt him a lot. And even though Kate now knew how wrong she was, she wasn't there when he asked her to hear him out. So no, he was not going to talk to her right now. He didn't want to. He needed time to calm his anger, his restlessness. Castle was tired.  
As he laid himself down on the couch, he closed his eyes and told himself, that tomorrow, he would listen to what Kate had to say. Tomorrow. But for now, he wanted this space. And he hoped she understood.

Kate cried bitterly into her pillow. She couldn't bring herself to move. Castle had never left her alone this way. Even when they would fight, he'd never resorted to sleeping on the couch, away from her. And she knew she deserved it. She had done him wrong. She had refused to listen to him, and ridiculed his theory, which proved to be right in the end. She felt foolish.

How could she have let him go that way? She was his wife. He was her Husband. 7 years of being together should have made her wiser. Through thick and through thin they had vowed to each other. 'But no, Kate, you went ahead and hurt him. You yelled and screamed at him. You let him go off alone to find your daughter. And he did. He brought her back home, safely. But he had to do it alone; you weren't there to help him. So much for vows Kate, he kept his, you didn't.' Kate's conscience was laughing at her.

She needed to make this right. She needed to show him how sorry she was, how she regretted her actions and words, how she just wanted him to talk to her again. She needed to mend his heart, so that hers would be healed too. She wiped at her tears and stood up from the bed. She walked out into the study and to the couch he was lying in. He was asleep. Deep in sleep. And she couldn't wake him, she didn't want to. He needed the rest. He looked so tired, so drained.

That's when she saw the scar on his head again. He wouldn't have had to take that hit, had she been there with him. She was a trained cop, she would have fought single handedly and come out victorious without a scratch on any of their bodies, had she been there with him, had she believed him. 'Victory' being: her family back home together, happy.

Kate sat on the ground, in front of him. She watched him sleep. His chest steadily rising with every breath he took. She softly traced the line of his face. He was a beautiful man. He deserved to be loved in the same amounts that he gave love to others. He didn't deserve to be treated the way she treated him these past few days. She could never be as amazing a spouse as he is. She lightly touched his scar, he stirred in his sleep. She played with the little hair that was falling onto his forehead just next to the scar,  
"I'm sorry Castle, I'm so sorry " she choked on her own words as sobs began to take over her.

She got up, and quickly ran out of the room.

Kate was startled when she heard someone moving in the kitchen, she steeped closer towards it and saw her Dad getting himself a glass of water, she walked over to him, and when Jim Beckett saw her, he knew something was wrong.

Jim Beckett was not used to seeing his daughter crying, at least not ever since castle has come into her life. So as he held his Daughter in his embrace and she cried bitterly against his shoulder, he knew whatever was worrying her had to be serious. he rubbed his hand on her back, soothing her, and when she finally got hold of herself, she pulled away, slightly embarrassed for breaking down like that in her father's embrace. He then looked her in the eyes and said "Katie, What's wrong?"

She sighed heavily, the tears ready to flow out again, but she held them in.  
"Dad, I really messed up this time. Rick's not talking to me."

"Katie, I'm sure whatever it is, you can sort it out with him"

Kate interrupted "no dad! This is not like that. He's sleeping on the couch right now, he said he didn't want to talk to me, he's never done that before, what if I've hurt him so bad, and he doesn't want to forgive me, God! I've messed this up so bad!" she was now staring at the ceiling, refusing to let tears fall out again.

He held Kates hand and gave it a light squeeze and reassuringly said, "Richard castle has been in love with you from the day he set eyes on you. He is a kind, gentle loving man. And I'm sure, he will accept your apology Katie. You just got to show him that you still love him the same."

"What if he doesn't want me anymore dad?"

"Now Katie, don't go there. Rick loves you with all his heart. You can see it in his eyes. Maybe he just wants time to sort things out in his head. Give him the space he needs, but not too much, you have to show him that you're here for him. He's gone through a lot in the past two days. I can just imagine how stressed out he is."

Kate nodded; she knew what she had to do now. She would wait till the sun rose, and till he was awake and then she would try to win him back. She knew he would forgive her eventually, but she needed to show him he mattered in her life. That he owned her heart, body and soul.

After wishing her dad a goodnight, Kate walked back into the study and sat back down on the ground, in the place she was before. She pulled the sheets higher up his body; she knew he must be cold. And she sat there, watching the rise and fall of his chest until it lulled her to sleep, her head resting on the edge of the couch, and her body in the same sitting position.


	8. Chapter 8

**Chapter 8  
**  
When Castle's eyes opened, he first glanced at the wall clock across the room. It was 7 am. He yawned and stretched, and suddenly, gold and brown hair caught his attention. That's when he realized Kate was sleeping there, her head resting beside his chest. He knew how badly her neck would ache when she woke up. God! How long did she sleep here?, and how did he not notice?, was he that deep in sleep?

He put his hand to her shoulder and shook her a bit "Kate, Kate wake up." She lifted her head and looked up; she ran a hand over her face, pain shot through her neck and shoulders. She knew it would be a bad idea to sleep that way, but she was helpless, she needed to be close to him.

He looked at her, worry in his eyes, and said "Hey, how long were you here? Why didn't you sleep in bed?"

she sighed, realizing that all her muscle were now aching, "I couldn't sleep".

She saw the guilt in his eyes. But that wasn't her intention, she didn't want to make him feel any worse than he already was, so she quickly got up, he sat up too an she sat beside him. "How bad is the neck?"

she smiled, he knew she was in physical pain. She looked at him and said, "I can cope with it."

but Castle knew better. He smiled, and then turned a little, to catch her shoulders from behind, signalling her to turn herself a little too. And he began to massage her shoulders, and she felt her body relax under his touch.

This beautiful man, who had every right to leave her there in pain, as punishment for the pain she put him through, was here, massaging every caught up muscle in her shoulders and back, and it brought tears to her eyes again.

She wanted to tell him to stop, that she didn't deserve it; she didn't deserve the amount of care he was giving. But his hands felt like heaven on her, he knew exactly the right spots of tension in her body and he opened those painful knots with ease. Castle was a strong man, and his hands were gentle on her body, he was always so gentle with her.

She closed her eyes and allowed her body to enjoy his touch.

When she knew she was better, she turned back to him, and said "thank you"

he nodded his head and then opened his mouth to say something, but then turned away and stood.

She held his hand "Rick, listen…"

"Kate, don't you have to be at the precinct today?" he was shooing her away. She let go of his hand and looked down. She did have to be at the precinct. Gates would not let her take today off.  
But being away from castle would only draw him furtherer away from her, and she didn't want that.

Castle looked at her, and saw the pain in her eyes; he hadn't meant to sound like he wanted her to go. So he tried to fix it. "Kate, why don't you go get ready… you're already late, I'll make you breakfast…"

she stood up "yea… I'll... I'll just go take a shower"

she almost turned to ask him to join her, but then walked forward in to their bedroom.

Castle picked up the sheets from the couch and went into the bedroom to make the bed. He then strolled out into the kitchen to get the coffee machine going.  
After a while, he was standing in front of the sink mirror in their master bathroom, trying to open up a band aid for his scar. Kate walked out of the shower stall, wearing just a robe. She saw him struggling with the band aid and went up to him, "let me" she said.

she sat up on the marble of the sink, and peeled the band aid out of its adhesive covering, she then placed it gently over his scar and smoothed it out with her thumb and before he could pull away, she leaned in and brushed a kiss over it, and whispered "all better now" he smiled.

A small smile, but it was real. And that made Kate feel good.

They suddenly realized the position they were in: her sitting on the sink top, him standing between her legs and it made her heart beat fast. She so badly wanted to kiss him. To feel his lips on hers. She just wanted to feel close to him again. Her eyes flickered to his lips, and she noticed him look at hers too, she leaned in a bit, and just when her lips were a mere centimetre away from his, she felt his breath hitch. And he said "Kate…"

and she noticed the pain in his voice. She pulled back, and looked at him... "Rick, please, I'm … I'm sorry for everything that went down, and I just want to make things better between us..."

she placed one of her hands on his chest, just above his heart, and the other cupped his cheek. He had just had a clean shave, and it felt good to touch his smooth face. And she could feel his heartbeat, thudding through his chest.  
"I want to fix this Rick, please" she was desperate. She needed this so badly.

Castle reached for her hands and place them on her lap and said "let's talk tonight, when your back home okay. I just… I need some time to think"  
he looked down and walked away. Leaving Kate feeling defeated.

Kate dressed for work quickly and fed Joanne too. She had breakfast herself, and then kissed Joanne goodbye. She went upstairs to wish Alexis good luck, she was leaving to go back to college today, and Kate wanted to kiss her goodbye.

When she came back downstairs, Castle was seated on the couch, playing with Joanne, she grabbed her travel mug of coffee that Castle had prepared for her and then stood at the doorway and watched her husband play with their daughter. He loved her too much. She walked toward them and sat beside Joanne and said to her, "I'll be back home soon ok honey," she kissed the top of her head "you be a good girl and don't worry daddy too much."

Joanne looked up at her and said "ok mommy, I love you" she hugged her daughter and said "I love you more my little munchkin" she then got up and hesitated, cause Castle always walked her out every morning when she had to leave for the precinct, but he didn't seem to move today.

She took a step forward, telling herself it's alright, he just needs time, they'll talk tonight, and everything will be ok tomorrow.  
That's when her little girl spoke up again "mommy, you forgot something… what about a kiss for daddy?"

Kate stopped in her tracks; she turned around and saw Joanne looking at her expectantly. She walked back to where they were, and leaned down and placed a kiss on the top of his head and whispered a soft "I love you Rick". She didn't wait to hear if he would reply to her or not, she was afraid it would hurt too much if he didn't. so she stormed out of the door and into the elevator.

Castle felt like an idiot. He had never allowed Kate to leave home without a kiss and a hug before.  
Kate had a dangerous job; Chasing down murderers and criminals was not something normal people did. So he had always made it a point to kiss her goodbye every morning before she left.

God forbid if something bad were to happen, she needed to know he still loved her. But he had let her leave without so much as a look in her direction. He quickly reached for his phone and texted a quick message to her  
'Stay safe ok.'

And after an hour, he received a reply from her that said "I will."


	9. Chapter 9

**Chapter 9**

Kate's Desk was filled with work when she entered the bull pen.  
Apparently, paperwork doesn't care if your daughter was kidnapped and you spent the last two days worrying for her life. So she sat down and began. She didn't want to think about the morning's events, so she kept her mind occupied with the paperwork.

It wasn't until she got a call about a murder up town, that she checked her phone and saw a text from Castle. It wasn't the three words she wanted to hear from him, but it was something close to it. She knew the unsaid meaning of it. And it made her smile. She sent him a reply, small and simple. Just to let him know she was not going to let anything happen to her. She'd be home tonight.

The whole morning went by, and by the time she returned to the precinct from the crime scene it was afternoon. She always called home every afternoon, to check on Joanne, she was just about to dial home, when her phone began to ring. She laughed, the caller id said 'home'. It must be Joanne she thought. The girl wouldn't sleep in the afternoons sometimes until she heard her mommy's voice. "Hey honey, missed me already?"

"Hey" came the reply. It wasn't Joanne, it was Castle.

"It's Rick"

"oh, I thought it was Joanne. What is it? Is she throwing tantrums again to sleep?"

He chuckled "no, no, it's nothing like that; I just thought I'd call to check on you... I mean... to see if everything's alright... I mean... you didn't call... so I was just a little worried..." he was stammering.

But the fact that he got worried cause she was late to call, warmed her heart. He had been worried something happened.

She smiled and said "Rick, everything's alright, I just got caught up at the crime scene and was just about to give you a call when you called up"

He said "Oh. Okay. Tough case?"

"Hmmm… I wouldn't say tough, but it's weird enough to make it into one of your books"

he chuckled "oh really? Well then you'll just have to brief me in when you get home."

He was talking to her and that was more than enough for now. She would ask for his forgiveness later in the evening, but for now, just to hear a smile in his voice was enough. He was no doubt a kind man.

Their conversation didn't last long; Kate had to get back to the case work. But it was now evening and Kate turned the lock in the door and entered. She was late; the case work had kept her back longer than usual.

Castle had already fed Joanne and tucked her in for the night. Kate entered the loft and saw castle sitting in the living room, watching a movie, he had served both of them dinner and was waiting for her to come home. She smiled at him and then went into the bedroom to change into something more comfortable and to freshen up.

When she sat beside him, they began eating dinner silently, sipping at the wine he had poured out for them in-between bites. When they were done, he stood to take their plates to the kitchen, but she stopped him.

"We can do that later. Please, I need to talk to you"

he looked at her for a second then placed the plates back down and sat. "Okay" he said.

She took a deep breath and started "Rick, I made a huge mistake by not listening to you, by not believing you"

"you're damn right, you did" he muttered.

she waited a moment before continuing, now reaching out to hold his hands in hers, "I did, I shouldn't have let you go off alone, I should have been there when you had to fight that guard, I should have been the one to have your back" tears were making their way through again.

And she could feel tension between them. He still had anger in him. And he was holding it back. She rubbed her thumb along his hand where she held on to it, and continued,  
"I know you're mad at me, I know you're angry, you have every right to be Rick... I don't blame you…" she choked on her words "I will total understand if you never want to forgive me for this Rick… because there are no excuses for what I did. I trusted Sorenson over you, when I shouldn't have, I've known you for much longer than I've known him, and it was a stupid mistake on my part to take his side... and I'm sorry"

He had tried to pull his hand away at the mention of Sorenson's name, but she held on tighter, with the fear that if she let him go, he'd walk away in anger.  
She had tears rolling down her cheeks now. She layed her heart in front of him. It was his choice now whether he wanted to take it, or leave it. And she prayed he'd take it. He was silent. And after a minute, he spoke

"you know how much I hate the guy Kate, but yet I agreed to let him work the case, for you. I agreed for you. But when I had evidence that there was something suspicious going on, you thought it was a result of my jealous instincts. You thought I was just acting immaturely! Kate, Joanne is my daughter too. You think at a moment like that I would let my Jealousy control me?!"

he didn't wait for a response, he stood up and walked a few steps away, he went on, his anger now evident in his voice,  
"you picked him over me Kate, and it hurt! It hurt a lot! Hell, it hurt even more than the idea of losing my daughter!"

Kate was scared now. "Rick, I know, I realize now what a huge mistake I made, I was wrong, absolutely wrong to think of you that way. And... And I don't know what more to say, other than…. I'm sorry Rick, I'm sorry..."

she was crying bitterly now. and then she whispered softly, "please don't leave me Rick, I love you so much, I'm sorry..."

That made Castle turn around quickly, confused, he strode back to her side and pulled her to him into his arms, and they both held on so tight, for the first time since he had brought Joanne home.

And she cried bitterly in his arms, shaking from the fear of him leaving. And he soothed her; he never meant to make her feel like he was going to leave her. No! He would never think of it. He softly whispered, "Kate, Honey, I would never"

and his voice was dripping with love and honesty. She spoke in-between sobs now,

"what can I do, to make it up to you rick, to prove to you I'm sorry, to prove to you how much I love you?"

he pulled her away from him and looked sincerely into her eyes and said "you don't have to prove anything to me Kate, I just want you to be able to trust me, to know how important Joanne is to me, to know I wouldn't let an immature emotion like jealousy come in the way of something as serious as finding my daughter. I just want to be assured that you trust me. What you did that day told me you don't trust me, and it broke my heart"

she nodded, and said "I trust you rick, I really do, with all my heart. You promised me you'd bring her home, and you kept your promise, and it made me feel like such a fool to doubt you. You were right about everything Rick."

Castle cradled her face in his hands, and looked into her eyes and said "I forgive you Kate, but you have to promise me something and keep your promise."

Her reply was immediate "anything."

He smiled "promise me you'll be by my side when we face troubles like this in the future. I don't want to have to be alone if we ever have to face something like this again"

a tear rolled down her cheek and he wiped it away with his thumb. And she said "I promise you Rick, I'll be right by your side. That what's partners are for" she kissed his wrist, and he smiled and replied "Always"

That's when he leaned in and their lips met and he kissed her passionately! The kiss sent shivers down her body and she suddenly remembered she wanted to be an active participant in it too. She let her fingers move through his soft hair, his arms moved around her waist to hold her. It felt as if they had kissed after years. The kiss was filled with passion and love and forgiveness and acceptance.

They didn't need to use any more words to communicate; their bodies and lips were doing a pretty good job. Their hearts did the rest of the talking. He had taken her heart and magically healed it, carving his name all over it.

She suddenly pulled back, panting now, and put her forehead to his and said, "I've been wanting to tell you, that punch you threw at him, for calling me a whore," he smirked, "that was really sweet of you." She kissed him again.

"I'm not sure if I made his face hurt as bad as my knuckle, but he totally deserved it, no one gets away with kidnapping my baby and disrespecting my wife that way."

She giggled, and kissed his nose. "You're the best thing that's happened to my life, Richard Castle"

"and don't I know it" came his reply. She hit him playfully and they both laughed.

He layed her down on the couch and began kissing her neck, sucking at just the right places to make her heart beat race his. she managed to take his shirt off, she needed to touch him. to feel his skin against hers. clothes were being thrown off, hands roamed over skin and lips worshiped it. moans of pleasure and soft whispered names filled the room. nails dug into skin as flesh became one. And all spaces and gaps between them were filled, as both of them were led into a world of ecstasy by the other.  
They were alright. they were in love and they Always would be.

* * *

**AN: So that's my very first Castle fan fiction. i hope i didnt disappoint. :) i enjoyed writing.  
thank you for sticking with me through it. you guys are amazing! 3**


End file.
